
: 



Book 

Copyrights 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



THE TRUE SOURCE 
OF A HAPPY LIFE 



BY 

HUGH WAYT 



'All who joy would win must share it. 
Happiness was born a twin." — Byron. 






<&\ 



Copyright— 1909 
By Hugh Wayt. 



Christian Publishing Company, St. Louis, Mo. 



CaA253; 



Sto ilg fflaitytt. 



PREFACE. 

There are many unhappy people in the world. No one 
will deny this. These unhappy people may become happy by 
observing certain laws. Henry Drummond says, " Happiness 
is governed by law." This brief booklet is designed to pre- 
sent in convenient form these laws. It has been our purpose 
to make it sufficiently brief so that busy people might read 
it, and yet sufficiently full to give a somewhat complete out- 
line of the laws governing happiness. So that any one who 
is honestly seeking the true source of a happy life may 
speedily find the same. 

With the earnest desire that it will be helpful to all who 
read its contents, this little booklet is sent forth on its 
mission. Hugh Wayt. 



CONTENTS. 



PAET FIEST. 

Seven Laws op Happiness. 

L— The Law of Self-Control 11 

II. — The Law of Magnanimity 17 

III.— The Law of Contentment 23 

IV.— The Law of Cheerfulness 29 

V.— The Law of Kindness 35 

VI.— The Law of Love 41 

VII.— The Law of Hope 45 



PAET SECOND. 

What some well-known authors have said concerning The 

Source of Happiness 49 



I. 

THE LAW OF SELF-CONTROL. 



Two powers which, in my opinion, constitute a wise man, are 
those of bearing and forbearing. — Epictetus. 

I will be lord over myself. No one who can not master him- 
self is worthy to rule, and only he can rule. — Goethe. 

Life is short. Let us not throw any of it away in useless 
resentment. It is best not to be angry. It is next best to be 
quickly reconciled. — Samuel Johnson. 



—12— 



I. 

The Law of Self-Control. 

Self-Control is indispensable in the pursuit of happi- 
ness. However, it is difficult to secure. Alexander the 
Great conquered all the world and then wept for 
other worlds to conquer, but he did not control his own 
spirit, dying a drunkard at thirty-three years of age. 
Daniel Webster could sway great audiences by his 
power of oratory, but did not master his personal life. 
Professor James says that one of the best principles in 
self-mastery is to carry into execution as soon as possible 
the good resolutions which are formed. Decide upon a 
course of conduct and immediately follow the decision 
by action. If postponed till some future time, execution 
may never materialize. Form a resolution to rid your 
life of every thing which makes you unhappy and to 
introduce into your life those things which bring joy and 
gladness. 

Be moderate. Keep free from undue violence, 
rigor, or excitement. Be mild, temperate, calm, reas- 
onable and gentle- If moderate in appetite, one does 
not impair his health by becoming gluttonous. By con- 
trolling temper he performs no hasty and rash acts 
causing permanent regret. By controlling his tongue 
he utters no word to wound the feelings of others. 
The equipoise of character and the self-mastery that 

—13— 



The True Source of a Happy Life. 

come by being moderate are essential to one's happiness- 
This victory will precede all others in our pursuit of 
the joyous life. Too many excesses of all sorts have 
falsified our senses and injured our faculty to be happy. 

To maintain a calm and quiet disposition under 
exciting circumstances will help much to make one's life 
pleasant and happy. Don't worry about things you 
can not help. A groceryman, whose stock and house- 
hold goods were all destroyed in a flood, slept soundly 
on a bench in a schoolhouse where they had gone for 
shelter. One of his friends said, "How can you sleep 
when you have lost all you had?" He replied, "It 
was through no fault nor carelessness of mine, and if I 
get a night's rest I will be able to go to work in the 
morning and build up again." 

To reach the happy state through calm self-pos- 
session means the patient endurance or toleration of 
many things. The refraining from retaliation or retri- 
bution. The manifesting in one's life of leniency and 
indulgence. 

Sir W. Temple says, "Health is the soul that ani- 
mates all the enjoyments of life." That state in which 
all the natural functions are performed freely without 
pain or disease is necessary to the well-being and hap- 
piness of any individual. Whatever impairs the body 
limits the mind. Vice corrupts the body, thereby de- 
creasing the ability to fully enjoy life. A weak, sickly 
or defective body puts one at a disadvantage in all his 
work. You should therefore as carefully as possible train, 

—14— 



The True Source of a Happy Life. 

develop, discipline and use your body. This is one of 
the fundamental principles. 

The happy individual is one with a clear conscience. 
Uneasiness of mind arising from wrong-doing will cause 
one to be unhappy. A sense of guilt produces keen 
pain. Compunction of conscience is the mother of dis- 
tressing grief. Remorse is the enemy of happiness- It 
is true, sin promises much. It seems so beautiful and 
attractive that it draws upon the uncontented mind. If 
people could just see beyond the attractiveness of sin, 
and there behold the deception, the disappointments, the 
unkept promises, it surely would be avoided. An X-Ray 
examination is needed to vanish its false promises. 
Sin produces a guilty conscience, which makes us un- 
happy. Junius says, "After long experience of the world, 
I affirm before God, I never knew a rogue who was 
not unhappy." 

The memory of the evil one has not committed gives 
happiness. The knowledge or memory of the good one has 
done gives greater happiness. When David of old under • 
took to describe the blessed or happy man, he drew the 
picture of a good man. This was right; for, after all, 
only those are truly happy who are truly good. Yet 
men are often more concerned to know the way to hap- 
piness than to know in what happiness consists- Good- 
ness is not only the way to happiness, but is happiness 
itself. The source of true happiness is not from without, 
but from within. 

—15— 



II. 

THE LAW OF MAGNANIMITY. 



(2) 



An effort made for the happiness of others lifts us above 
ourselves. — Mrs. L. M. Child. 



The most delicate, the most sensible of all pleasures consists 
in promoting the pleasures of others. — La Bruyere. 



Is not that the truest gratitude which strives to widen the 
horizon of human happiness and to make our fellows sharers 
in that which has gladdened us? — H. C. Potter. 



Be good, get good, and do good. Do all the good you can; 
to all the people you can; in all the ways you can; as often 
as you can; and as long as you can. — S pur g eon. 



—18- 



ii. 

The Law of Magnanimity. 

Greatness of mind and heart will give us the spirit 
tc do and to bear great things. It endures trials with- 
out sinking beneath them, stands face to face with 
danger and death without flinching, can smile favorably 
on the face of a foe, and rejoice in a competitor's suc- 
cess. It is calm under great provocations and endures 
unmoved both perils and privations for the sake of great 
principles and the common good. 

True magnanimity consists in personal worth- One 
may be truly magnanimous and recognized as such, and 
at the same time be destitute of learning, scholarship, 
office or rank. Such nobility, or largeness of life, is 
frequently found in persons of humble circumstances. 
Acts worthy of heroes are being performed daily by 
persons scarcely known at all. The qualities which 
must be sought in order to secure such greatness of 
mind and heart are a lofty purpose, deep sympathies and 
absolute self-sacrifice. These combine in a nobility of 
character and life which makes one happy. 

Be unselfish. Have due regard for the interests, 
pleasures and advantages of others. Possess the dis- 
position to seek the gratification, welfare or advance- 
ment of others even at your own expense. Is it not true 
unselfishness when the mother allows furrows of care to 

—19— 



The True Source of a Happy Life. 

be plowed across her brow in properly rearing and train- 
ing children ? Does not filial affection lead many children 
to the limit of unselfishness in caring for aged parents? 
Is it not an exhibition of pure unselfishness when men 
face exhaustion, wounds and often death that others 
might have a better country to live in? And yet how 
these unselfish acts produce joy and gladness in their own 
lives. 

Be willing to spend and be spent for the uplift of 
humanity. Sow bountifully to the enjoyment of others 
and you will reap a bountiful harvest of happiness for 
yourself. Give of encouragement and helptumess to 
others, and happiness shall be given unto you, "Good 
measure pressed down, shaken together and running 
over." Giving enriches the giver in true joy, unalloyed 
pleasure and genuine happiness. "Strike out the gain of 
giving and you destroy the core of history, the soul of 
oratory, the beauties of literature, the glories of poetry 
and song, the heroism of patriotism, the divinity of re- 
ligion and the hope of eternity," says Haggard. 

The happy life is a life of service. Being willing 
to work for the benefits of others. Conferring advan- 
tages and favors on fellow-beings. Carrying the loads of 
burdened people. For in such service we find the music 
of the strung cord, the grace and fashion of the lily, 
the sparkle of the diamond, the fragrance and beauty of 
the rose. Service is to life what song is to the bird's 
throat or plumage to its wings. A life of service throws 
out perfume like an orange tree, pours forth music like 

—20— 



The True Source of a Happy Life. 

a harp, flashes beauty like gems, cheers like a winter's 
fire, brightens like the sunshine. Our own lives are 
filled with joy as we thus brighten the lives of others. 

The benevolent spirit aids much. The disposition to 
seek the well-being or comfort of others. Having a desire 
to alleviate suffering or promote happiness. Manifesting 
love to mankind. Being kind of heart ; charitable. Al- 
ways abounding in helpfulness. Offering our bodies a 
living sacrifice for the good of others. Constantly going 
about doing good. Visiting the fatherless and the wid- 
ows — giving those things which are needful to the body. 
Such things form a spring which bubbles forth exuberant 
joy. They are the true source from which flows genuine 
happiness. Those who are seeking a life of joy will do 
well to drink freely from this fountain- 

Self-abnegation produces happiness. The complete 
putting aside of self in both act and thought for the 
sake of some person or object. The forgetfulness of self 
in doing good for others. A life of self-sacrifice. If 
any person would be happy let him deny himself and 
take up some of the burdens of humanity and carry 
them. Sharing the burdens of earth's weary ones gen- 
erates true joy and gladness in one's own life. We 
usually look at it from a different viewpoint, that others 
ought to do these things for us, but if they do it intro- 
duces unhappiness into our lives by making us selfish 
and haughty. 

If you want to be happy, keep busy. Idleness is 

one of the sources of an unhappy life. Take the place 

—21— 



The True Source of a Happy Life. 

of the dear old mother bowed down under family and 
household cares. Relieve those worn and weary watch- 
ing beside the sick and dying. Let the charming youn?, 
lady of the house for whom the evening walk has grown 
old exchange places with the hired girl. You will 
make them the happier for the change, and you will 
be the same. This sort of conduct would amply cure 
discontent and rekindle the happiness extinct in many 
bosoms. 

Practical usefulness is characteristic of happy people- 
Not full of theories and empty experiences. But to live 
in the great world of living people, busy events and 
many things, and everywhere and always to be a bene- 
diction and a blessing. To live for God and men and 
make the world better. Country, home, church, business 
and community are all benefited by such living. 



22r 



III. 

TUB LAW OF CONTENTMENT. 



Whoever is contented is rich. — Firdasi. 



Contentment is natural wealth. — Socrates. 



Contentment furnishes constant joy. Much covetousness con- 
stant grief. To the contented even poverty is joy. To the dis- 
contented even wealth is a vexation. — Ming Sum Paou Keen. 

Happy the man, of mortals happiest he 
Whose quiet mind from vain desire is free; 
Whom neither hopes deceive nor fears torment, 
But lives at peace, within himself content. 

— Lord ■ Lansdowne. 



—24— 



III. 

The Law of Contentment. 

Nothing is lovelier in life than the spirit of con- 
tentment. Fretting mars the beauty of many a face. 
Discontent spoils all one's life. Out of whatever window 
he looks the discontented person sees something that 
is not right. If there be a contented mind there is only 
good seen everywhere. The happiest homes in the 
world are not those in which are found the finest carpets, 
the costliest pictures and most luxurious furniture, but 
those in which glad, contented hearts dwell. A mind 
at rest glorifies the plainest surroundings and even the 
hardest conditions. 

The problem in many lives is how to maintain the 
contented spirit, how to be composed in one's place 
when others are unreasonable, exacting, unjust and un- 
kind. True philosophy teaches that we are to do our 
work well, to manifest the patient, gentle spirit, what- 
ever our hardships and wrongs may be. Especially is it 
hard to suffer wrongfully and keep one's heart sweet 
and loving through it all- We find right here one of 
life's most serious problems. No one can avoid suffer- 
ing at the hands of others. In the truest and most con- 
genial friendships there are sometimes things which 
occasion pain. Even in the sweetest homes there is 
frequent need of mutual forbearance and forgiveness, 

— 25— 



The True Source of a Happy Life. 

Many have to suffer continually, cruelly and bitterly. 
If one keeps love in his heart through all unkindness, 
ingratitude and injustice, never allows bitterness to creep 
in, never gives way to any feeling of resentment ; always 
forgiving, loving, ready to help, he has won a great 
victory for happiness. 

There are those who take to gloom as a bat does tr 
darkness- They would rather nurse a misery than cherish 
a joy. They always find the dark side of everything-. 
They are conscientious grumblers, as if it were their 
duty to extract some misery from every circumstance. 
The atmosphere is either too cold or too hot, too wet 
or too dry. They never find anything to suit their taste. 
Nothing escapes these scrutinizing critics. They find 
fault with the victuals on the table, the bed on which 
they lie, the car or vessel in which they travel, with the 
government and its officers — in short, with the world 
at large and in detail- They are constant grumblers. 
Instead of being content with their lot, they have learned 
to be discontented, no matter how happy their condition. 
Had they been placed in Eden they would have found 
something to criticize. This wretched habit empties life 
of much joy and turns every pleasure to pain. 

You may have inherited the tendency toward this 
disposition in temperament, yet it is largely a matter 
of culture and habit, for which we are individually 
responsible. Every one can overcome such a disposition 
with the proper effort. It is clearly a most important part 
of culture to do so. Joyfulness is everywhere com- 

—26— 



The True Source of a Happy Life. 

mended as a duty. Discontent is a most detestable fault. 
Morbidness is sin. Fretfulness grieves humanity. It 
destroys the soul's peace. It disfigures the beauty of char- 
acter. Its influence is bad. We should refrain from 
it for the sake of others. It has a very depressing effect 
upon them. We are unconsciously casting shadows or 
pouring sunshine; so let us strive to learn the art of 
contentment. 

What are some of the elements of this true philo- 
sophy of life? One is patient submission to ills and 
hardships which can not be avoided. One bird struggles 
against the wire walls of its cage till it is all bleeding, 
bruised and exhausted. Another accepts its restraint, 
?erches itself and is soon absorbed in the sweetness 
cf its own song. Surely one is wiser than the other- 

Another way is to resolutely refuse to be fright- 
ened by shadows or to see trouble where there is none. 
Much of the gloomy tinge that many people see on 
everything is caused by the color of the glasses they 
wear. We put on our blue glasses and everything 
looks blue. We can accomplish much toward curing 
ourselves of fretting and worrying by refusing to be 
misled by foreboding imagination. 



— 27— 



IV. 

THE LAW OF CHBBRFULNBSS. 



Look upon the bright side of your condition; then your dis- 
content will disperse. Pore not upon your losses, but recount 
your mercies. — Watson. 



The inner side of every cloud is bright and shining; 

I therefore turn my clouds about 

And always wear them inside out 
To show the lining. — Ellen Thorneycroft Fowler. 



Do not look for wrong and evil, 
You will find them if you do; 

As you measure for your neighbor 
He will measure back to you. 

Look for goodness, look for gladness, 
You will meet them all the while; 

If you bring a smiling visage 
To the glass, you meet a smile. 

■ — Alice Cary. 



—30— 



IV. 

The Law of Cheerfulness. 

It will help much in learning the lesson of happi- 
ness if we persistently train ourselves to be cheerful 
and to see the bright things in our every-day life. There 
are some people who seem to have eyes only for the dis- 
agreeable things. They find every bit of roughness and 
hardness in life's pathway. They see at once, and see 
it magnified, every unpleasant thing that comes into their 
lives. They remember every unhappy experience they 
ever had- They keep on the walls of their memory 
pictures of all their vanished joys and faded hopes. 
They indelibly record all the trials, adversities and mis- 
fortunes they have ever suffered. But, on the other 
hand, they are forgetful of all their blessings. They 
hang up no pictures of the joys they did not lose, which 
have filled their lives on so many bright days. They 
have poor memory for the things that beautify and 
gladden life. 

There are few habits more common than this of 
remembering the unpleasant and forgetting the pleasant 
things, and there is no other habit which is a greater 
enemy of true joy. He who would be of good cheer 
must break this habit if it has fastened itself on his life. 
He must train himself to see the beautiful things and be 
blind to the disagreeable things. There are, in the ordi- 

—31— 



The True Source of a Happy Life. 

nary life, a thousand pleasant things — favors, joys, com- 
forts, things to cheer — to one unpleasant thing, one real 
cause for unhappiness. It is a shame, therefore, to let 
the one bit of roughness, trial or suffering spoil all the 
gladness of the thousand blessings, the one discordant 
note mar all the music of such splendid harmony. We 
should learn to look at life, not to find misery and dis- 
comfort, but to find joy and happiness. 

Don't borrow trouble. Don't wait for happiness. 
Go to work and make it. Accept the true philosophy 
of life. Take things as they come. Look at the bright 
side- If there is no bright side, make one. Don't hang 
down your head. "Nothing so bad but it might have 
been worse." "It is a long lane that has no turning." 
"It is always morning some where." "Every cloud has 
a silver lining." "The darkest hour of the night usually 
precedes the dawn." Form the habit of thinking how 
much there is to cheer you, even though there may be 
much to depress. 

"How dismal you look," said a pail to his com- 
panion, as they were going to the well. "Ah," replied 
the other, "I was reflecting on the uselessness of our 
being filled; for let us go away ever so full we always 
come back empty." "How strange to look at it in that 
way," said the other pail. "Now, I enjoy the thought 
that, however empty we come, we always go away full. 
Only look at it that way, and you will be as cheerful as 
I am." 

Some people always take cheerful views of life. 
—32— 



The True Source of a Happy Life. 

They look at the bright side. They find some joy and 
beauty in everything. If the sky is covered with clouds, 
they will point out to you some great bank of clouds 
piled up like mountains of glory. When the storm 
rages, instead of fears and complaints, they find much 
pleasure in meditating on its majesty and grandeur. 
In the most defective picture they will see some beauty 
which charms them. In the most disagreeable people 
they discover some kindly trait of character. In the most 
discouraging circumstances they find something for 
which to be thankful, some gleam of cheer breaking in 
through the thick clouds. If there is one ray of hope 
any where they will find it. They have cultivated a fac- 
ulty for happiness. They always make the best of cir- 
cumstances. They are happy while traveling. They 
are contented at home. Their good nature never lags. 
They take cheerful views of everything. Such persons 
have a wonderous mission in the world. They are like 
fruit-trees covered with blossoms pouring sweetness all 
about them. 

What is the philosophy of living which produces 
such results? Some will say, "People are born with 
sunny dispositions, with large ability for helpfulness and 
joyfulness, and with eyes for the bright side of life; 
while others are naturally disposed to gloom." It is 
largely a matter of training and habit. Make the best of 
yourself. Watch, and plant, and sow- Cultivate! Faint 
not, falter not! Press onward! Persevere! Perhaps you 
can not bear such splendid fruit, nor yet such rare, rich 
(3) —33— 



The True Source of a Happy Life 

flowers as others. But bear the best you can. At first 
your flowers may only be the daisies and buttercups 
of life — the little words, and smiles, and handshakes, and 
helpful looks — but they will have their effect on others 
and on yourself. Take down your harp from the willows, 
and begin the joyous song. 



— 34r- 



V. 

THE LAW OF KINDNESS. 



Kindness, a language which the dumb can speak, and the 
deaf can understand. — Bovee. 



Kindness is wisdom. There is none in life but needs it and 
may learn. — Bailey. 



Swift kindnesses are best; a long delay 
In kindness takes the kindness all away. 

— Greek Anthology. 



SOMEBODY. 

Somebody did a golden deed; 
Somebody proved a friend in need; 
Somebody sang a beautiful song; 
Somebody smiled a whole day long; 
Somebody thought, " 'tis sweet to live;" 
Somebody said, "I'm glad to give;" 
Somebody fought a valiant fight; 
Somebody lived to shield the right; 
Was that Somebody you? 



—36— 



V. 
Thf Law of Kindness. 

Kindness is an element of happiness. Cultivate 
kindness of heart. Think well of your fellow-men. Look 
with charity upon the shortcomings in their lives. Do 
a good turn for them as opportunity offers. Don't 
forget the kind word at the right time. How much 
a word of kindness, encouragement, or appreciation 
means to others sometimes, and how little it costs to 
give it ! 

There is nothing easier than to get into the habit 
of fault-finding, and nothing that is much more unprofit- 
able. As one looks back over the experiences of a life- 
time, he may have occasion to regret many an impatient 
and fretful word, but he will have little sadness on ac- 
count of the kind and patient forbearance accorded to 
those with whom he has come in contact. 

When calamity overtakes a friend, words of sympa- 
thy and encouragement are offered sincerely enough- 
Such an occasion calls for expression on our part, and 
we naturally respond. But why wait for an occasion? 
Why not speak the kind word when there is no special 
occasion ? 

In the course of our lives there must be many times 
when thoughtless words are spoken by us which wound 

—37— 



The True Source of a Happy Life. 

the hearts of others. And there are also many little 
occasions when the word of cheer is needed from us 
and we are silent. 

There are lives of wearisome monotony which i 
word of kindness can relieve. There is suffering which 
words of sympathy can make more endurable. And 
often, even in the midst of wealth and luxury, there are 
those who listen and long in vain for some expression 
of disinterested kindness. 

Every pleasant smile, every gentle word, every 
cheerful deed, is a stroke of the brush that adds beau- 
tiful colors to the home sky, and so makes life's every 
day sweeter. Speak to those while they can hear and be 
helped by you, for the day may come when all our ex- 
pressions of love and appreciation may be unheard. Im- 
agine yourself standing beside their last resting place. 
Think of the things you could have said of them, and 
to them, while they were yet living. Then go and tell 
them now. 

"Kind words have healed full many a wound, 
Have lightened sorrow's weight; 
Oh, then, in gentle words abound, 
Their revenue is great." 

Once there was a king who had a little boy whom he 
loved. He gave him beautiful rooms to live in, and 
pictures and toys and books. He gave him a pony to 
ride and a rowboat on the lake, and servants. He pro- 
vided teachers who gave him knowledge that would 
make him good and great. But for all this the young 

—38— 



The True Source of a Happy Life.. 

prince was not happy. He wore a frown wherever he 
went, and was always wishing for something he did not 
have. At length one day a magician came to court. 
He saw the boy and said to the king : "I can make your 
boy happy, but you must pay me my own price for 
telling the secret." "Well/' said the king, "What you 
ask I will give." So the magician took the boy into a 
private room. He wrote something with a white sub- 
stance on a piece of paper. Next he gave the boy a 
candle, and told him to light it and hold it under the 
paper and see what he could read. The boy did as he 
had been told- The white letters on the paper turned to 
a beautiful blue. They formed these words : "Do a kind- 
ness to some one every day." The prince made use of 
the secret, and became the happiest boy in the king- 
dom. 

"Do a kindness, do it well; 

Angels will the story tell. 

Do a kindness, tell it not; 

Angels' hands will mark the spot. 

Do a kindness, though 'tis small, 

Angels' voices sing it all. 

Do a kindness, never mind! 

What you lose the angels find. 

Do a kindness, do it now; 

Angels know it all somehow. 

Do a kindness any time; 

Angels weave it into rhyme. 

Do a kindness, it will pay; 

Angels will rejoice that day. 

Kindly deeds and thoughts and words 

Bless the world, like songs of birds." 
—39— 



VI. 

THE LAW OP LOVH. 



There is only one source of rest in the midst of pain. It is 
tne doing of duty. There is only one source of joy in the 
midst of pain. It is more than the doing of duty. It is the 
doing of love. — Stopford A. Brooks. 



Mankind are always better for having been once happy; so 
that if you make them happy now, you make them happy 
twenty years hence, through the memory of it. — Sidney Smith. 

Surely happiness is reflective, like the light of heaven; and 
every countenance, bright with smiles and glowing with inno- 
cent enjoyment, is a mirror transmitting to others the rays of 
a supreme and ever-shining benevolence. — Washington Irving. 



—42- 



VI. 

The Law of Love. 

Those who would be happy must love. Not only 
parents, children and friends ; but unlovable people. 
Love gives us the disposition to suffer long and still be 
kind. To see others possess talent and riches surpassing 
Ours and not envy them- It keeps us from boasting of our 
personal possessions and attainments. Love makes us 
humble. It helps us to bear ourselves gently toward 
others. It makes us jealous of the rights of others as 
well as our own. It keeps us from being provoked by 
some supposed slight or insult. It makes us slow to sus- 
pect others of evil motives or evil designs. It causes us 
to rejoice in the triumph of truth. It makes us cover 
up the faults of others as we desire others to overlook 
ours. Love gives us confiding hearts. It makes us hope- 
ful and trustful. It helps us to endure hardships and 
privations. These are all elements of happiness. 

Patience is a fruit of love, and patience will help. 
She produces harmony in the family and in societv- Sh<» 
comforts the poor and moderates the rich. She makes 
us humble in prosperity, cheerful in adversity, and un- 
moved by circumstances. Patience teaches us to forgive 
those who have wronged us, and to be the first to ask 
the forgiveness of those whom we have injured. She 
adorns woman and commends the man, and is beautiful 

—43— 



The True Source of a Happy Life. 

in either sex and in every age. In visiting a large family 
once it was observed how happy and contented tiiey 
were. The visitor was there for a long time, and the 
happiness was never once broken. Before he left he 
asked the secret of it all. The answer came back, "We 
are patient with each other." 

Another fruit of love is friendship. Being pos- 
sessed of the faculty that gives social feeling or fra- 
ternity. Having a mutual interest in the welfare of 
others. Being congenial. Binding up the broken hearts, 
nursing the sick and encouraging manhood. Friendship 
scatters sunshine, lightens labor, sweetens life and blesses 
the whole world. It creates happiness, awakens joy and 
enriches life. Disseminating good to others through 
friendship brings joy and gladness into one's life- To 
be so loved and trusted that others troubled and with 
bleeding and breaking hearts may find a sure haven of 
rest in us. Having the confident assurance that out of 
the deepest and truest love our tears will mingle with 
theirs, and that our own hearts will bleed and break in 
tender sympathy with theirs. 

Yes, the law of happiness is fulfilled in one word — 
LOVE. It is the rich soil from which grow joy, peace, 
long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, meekness and mod- 
eration. Out of it also grow self-control, largeness of 
heart and life, contentment, cheerfulness, kindness and 
hopefulness. These elements enter largely into the hap- 
piness of every individual. They are the fruitful branches 
that grow on the vine of love. 

—44— 



VII. 

THE LAW OF HOPE. 



Where there is no hope there can be no endeavor. — Samuel 
Johnson. 



The setting of a great hope is like the setting of the sun. 
The brightness of our life is gone. — Longfellow. 

Hope will make thee young, for hope and youth are children 
of one mother, even love. — Shelley. 



Come, gentle hope! with one gay smile remove the lasting 
sadness of an aching heart. — Helen Maria Williams. 



—46- 



VII. 

The Law of Hope. 

The joyous life is full of hope. One's desire to be 
happy must be accompanied by confident expectation of 
attaining the same. Happy people live in cheerful antici- 
pation of a bright future. To be happy one must be 
optimistic, rather than pessimistic. Hope is a faculty of 
intelligence, and is essential 'to any desired goal. No 
hope, no success, is true the world over. All people 
must fail without hope, and failure produces unhappi- 
ness- When hope's cheery light and inspiring voice are 
not seen and heard, dreary, starless night fills the soul 
and paralyzes the life. 

When Alexander the Great set forward on his 
great exploits, before leaving Macedonia he divided 
among his captains and nobles all his property. On 
being rebuked by a friend for having, as he thought, 
acted unwisely in parting with all his possessions, re- 
serving nothing for himself, he replied : "I have reserved 
for myself much more than I have given away; I have 
reserved for myself the HOPE of universal empire; 
and when by the valor and help of these, my captains 
and nobles, I shall be monarch of the world, the gifts I 
have parted with will come back to me with an increase 

pf a thousand-fold." He realized his dream. He con- 

-47- I 



The True Source of a Happy Life. 

quered the world. The secret of it all was he never lost 
hope. 

Columbus had a vision of a round earth II* met 
discouragements enough to dissipate the hope of the 
most optimistic. He would not give up. Hope was the 
guiding star that led him on till he reached the goal. 

Dream of the future. See yourself under the most 
complete self-control. Behold one transformed from that 
which is narrow, little and envious to that which is big, 
broad and sympathetic. No more a pensioner at the 
mercy of others, but a great philanthropist blessing the 
world with kindly deeds, encouraging words and helpful 
friendship. No more fretful and unhappy, but perfectly 
contented, always seeing the bright side. See such 
visions. Dream such dreams- Form them into resolu- 
tions. Put them into execution. Always be hopeful. 
Observe these laws and your life will be pleasant and 
happy. 



PART SECOND. 

What Some Weil-Known Authors Have Said Concerning the 
Source of Happiness. 



The True Source of a Happy Life. 



THE WAY TO BE HAPPY. 

A hermit there was, and he lived in a grot, 

And the way to be happy, folks said, he had got; 

As I wanted to learn it, I went to his cell, 

And when I came there, the old hermit said: "Well, 

Young man, by your looks you want something, I see; 

Now tell me the business that brings you to me." 

The way to be happy, folks say, you have got; 
And wishing to learn it, I've come to your grot. 
Now, I beg and entreat, if you have such a plan, 
That' you write it me down, as plain as you can." 
Upon which the old hermit, he went to his pen, 
And brought me this note when he came back again: 

'Tis being and doing and having that make 
All the pleasures and pains of which mankind partake; 
To be what God pleases, to do a man's best, 
And to have a good heart is the way to be blest.' ' 

— Byron. 



-51— 



The True Source of a Happy Life. 



THE SECRET OF A HAPPY DAY. 

Just to let that Father do 

What he will; 
Just to know that He is true, 

And be still. 
Just to follow, hour by hour, 

As He leadeth; 
Just to draw the moment's power 

As it needeth. 
Just to trust Him — that is all, 

Then the day will surely be 
Peaceful, whatso'er befall; 

Bright and blessed, calm and free. 

Just to leave in His dear hand 

Little things; 
All we can not understand, 

All that stings. 
Just to let Him take the care 

Sorely pressing; 
Finding all we let Him bear 

Changed to blessing. 
This is all, and yet the way 

Marked by Him who loves thee best — 
Secret of a happy day, 

Secret of this promised rest. 

— Frances Bidley Haver gal. 



—52— 



The True Source of a Happy Life 



No man can be happy without exercising the virtue of a 
cheerful industry or activity. No man can lay in his claim 
to happiness — I mean the happiness that shall last through the 
fair run of life — without chastity, without temperance, without 
scrriety, without economy, without self command, and, conse- 
quently, without fortitude; and let me add, without a liberal 
and forgiving spirit. — Good, "The Boole of Nature."' 

My conscience is my crown, 

Contented thoughts my rest; 
My heart is happy in itself, 

My bliss is in my breast. 

I feel no care of coin, 

Well doing is my wealth; 
My mind to me an empire is 

While grace affordeth health. 

— Southwell. 



—53— 



The True Source of a Happy Life. 



OPTIMISM. 

There's a bad side, 'tis the sad side — 

Never mind it! 
There's a bright side, 'tis the right side — 

Try to find it. 
Pessimism's but a screen 
Thrust the light and you between; 
But the sun shines bright, I ween, 

Just behind it! 

— Jean Diuight Franklin. 

If you strike a thorn or rose, 

Keep a-goin'! 
If it hails or if it snows, 

Keep a-goin'! 
Tain't no use to sit and whine 
When the fish ain't on your line; 
Bait your hook, and keep on tryin' — 

Keep a-goin'! 

The difference betwixt the optimist 

And pessimist is droll. 
The optimist sees the doughnut, 

The pessimist the hole. 



—54— 



The True Source of a Happy Life. 



LINCOLN'S RULES OF LIVING. 

Do not worry, eat three square meals a day, say your prayers, 
be courteous to your creditors, keep your digestion good, steer 
clear of biliousness, exercise, go slow and go easy. Maybe 
there are other things that your special case requires to make 
you happy, but, my friend, these I reckon will give you a good 
lift. — Abraham Lincoln. 

Cheerfulness or joyfulness is the atmosphere under which 
all things prosper. — Bichter. 

Happiness is not perfected until it is shared. — Jane Porter. 

My experience in life makes me sure of one truth, which I 
do not try to explain: That the sweetest happiness, the very 
wine of human life, comes not from love, but from sacrifice — 
from the effort to make others happy. This is- as true to me 
as that my flesh will burn if I touch redhot metal. — John 
Boyle 'Beilly. 

■ Fretting most of us call a minor fault and not a vice; but 
there is no other vice except drunkenness which can so utterly 
destroy the happiness of a home. — Helen Hunt Jackson. 

There is a sort of virtuous selfishness in benevolence; for 
the more we live for the good of others, the more we really 
benefit ourselves. — Unknown. 



—55— 



The True Source of a Happy Life. 



If solid happiness we prize, 
Within our breast this jewel lies; 

And they are fools who roam; 
The world has nothing to bestow, 
From our own selves our joys must flow, 

And that dear hut our home. 
— Cotton. 

Who is the happiest of men? He who values 

The merits of others, 
And in their pleasures takes joy, even as 

Though 'twere his own. 

— Goethe. 

Still to ourselves in every place consigned, 
Our own felicity we make or find. 

— Goldsmith. 



JAN 3 1910 



One copy del. to Cat. Div. 



